Programme

Designers use user centred design methods in product development processes to create valuable, usable and successful products. We use many of these methods over and over again because... more ›

Wayfinding in the variety of methods for user centred design

Designers use user centred design methods in product development processes to create valuable, usable and successful products. We use many of these methods over and over again because we are familiar with them and can easily ‘tweak’ them a little to our situation. But what if there is a method that could be a better fit with the problem that you are facing? Or what if you are not that much experienced with methods and you do not have a clue which methods you could use?

If you ever wondered how you could find user problems, needs or other kind of user related information, you were probably looking for a method. With over 200 methods being currently available through various collections (e.g. UsabilityBOK.org, Usability.gov and UsabilityNet.org), selecting the right one can be a difficult and time consuming job. This is especially the case because most of the current collections categorize methods on alphabet instead of practical criteria such as time, budget and research goal. And selecting the wrong method or using a method inappropriately can end up in bad design decisions.

This workshop is about that particular point where you wished there was something that could help you select a method and that gives you the information to execute the method. During the workshop you will learn what is important in selecting methods and what information you might need for executing a method. In addition, you will learn about an upcoming tool that will help you in the selection procedure and information gathering.

Attendance to this workshop does not require extensive experience in usability testing or selecting methods. As long as you are involved in user centred design projects, usability testing and/or method selection and want to learn what is important in method selection, you are welcome to join us.

During this workshop you will be required to use the prototype of an interactive method selection tool.

11:30

Code 4: A large scale game for organizational change

Authors

Kars Alfrink, Alper Cugun, Marinka Copier, Herman Koster

Promoting organizational change within large government bodies remains an elusive goal. The game Code 4 was developed to create a coherent fully mixed media approach to eliciting organizational... more ›

Code 4: A large scale game for organizational change

Promoting organizational change within large government bodies remains an elusive goal. The game Code 4 was developed to create a coherent fully mixed media approach to eliciting organizational change effects by employing employees as the primary actors (players) in a game. The Code 4 game was set in an analogous world but with a clear cause to action in a dystopic financial crisis and with rules that mirrored but also subverted existing bureauc-ratical processes. The gameplay rewarded succesful collaboration without regard for the organizational framework. Results indicate that many players were wholly engaged with both the core game as with the supporting encounters and that the transferral of game effects was succesful. Employing a game for organizational change has proved itself to be a valid approach.

11:30

Seeing through virtual windows

Authors

Frank A. de Boer, Fons J. Verbeek

Previous research from environmental psychology shows that human well-being suffers in windowless environments in many ways. In addition, research shows that a window view of nature... more ›

Seeing through virtual windows

Previous research from environmental psychology shows that human well-being suffers in windowless environments in many ways. In addition, research shows that a window view of nature is psychologically and physiologically beneficial to humans. Current window substitutes, still images and video, lack three dimensional properties necessary for a realistic viewing experience. In this research we look at the efficacy of binocular disparity in creating a realistic virtual see-through experience. An innovative system was designed using true stereoscopic 3D imaging combined with motion parallax. Evaluation data obtained from a group of human subjects suggest that the virtual window prototype, containing the binocular disparity depth cue, gives a more convincing illusion that one is looking ‘through’ a window. The viewing conditions with binocular disparity were rated significantly higher when compared to a static picture or motion parallax and therefore our main hypotheses were supported. Test subjects had not expected the system prototype to be such a natural and realistic representation of a real window.

11:30

To know or not to know – The Impact of Sharing the Purpose of a Prototyping Session with the Participants

Authors

Christian Köppe, Davy Meers, Arie van der Veek, Jouke Stoel

Prototyping is a well known technique in software engineering. According to the literature, the successful application of prototyping depends on sharing the purpose of the session... more ›

To know or not to know – The Impact of Sharing the Purpose of a Prototyping Session with the Participants

Prototyping is a well known technique in software engineering. According to the literature, the successful application of prototyping depends on sharing the purpose of the session with the participants upfront. However, no empirical data is offered to support this claim. In our experiment we measured if the amount of faults found per participant depended on sharing the purpose of the prototyping session upfront. The results show that in our experimental context the claim is not supported. Possible reasons are discussed.

11:30

Hands-on Arduino introduction: A sneak peek into the world of interactive installations

Author

Arthur Bennis

Have you ever wanted to extend your interaction design knowledge beyond just a computer screen? Do you want to create tangible products that interact with the real world? Receive signals... more ›

Hands-on Arduino introduction: A sneak peek into the world of interactive installations

Have you ever wanted to extend your interaction design knowledge beyond just a computer screen? Do you want to create tangible products that interact with the real world? Receive signals from outside, transform it into interaction and give feedback to your users? This is a workshop for you to follow.

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

During this workshop you will create your first interactive installation. Although limited in time, we will take a look at applications of use by using the Arduino system. We will get our hands dirty on using different sensors and actuators such as light, pressure and distance. The integrated development environment will be explained and used. Prior knowledge of programming or hardware is not required.

After this workshop you have taken a peek into the world of microcontrollers as a prototyping platform for interactive installations and you will be ready to start on your own. Let you imagination run wild on your next project!

11:50

Involving blind children in the co-design of a Wii game

Authors

Liliane Kuiper-Hoyng, Rob Willems, Sven Schultz

When designing for children with disabilities, user involvement is particularly important, since it is difficult for designers to envision the limitations and possibilities for this... more ›

Involving blind children in the co-design of a Wii game

When designing for children with disabilities, user involvement is particularly important, since it is difficult for designers to envision the limitations and possibilities for this target group. However, it is a challenge to reach high levels of participation using the same collaboration techniques used for sighted adults. In this project a Wii game was created for blind children to play on an equal level with sighted children. This paper describes how previously used co-design methods were adapted for involving blind children.

11:50

Virtual Usability Testing

Author

Pascal Haazebroek

In this short paper we present a novel remote, asynchronous method of usability testing which combines the strengths of usability testing with the benefits of modern user behavior... more ›

Virtual Usability Testing

In this short paper we present a novel remote, asynchronous method of usability testing which combines the strengths of usability testing with the benefits of modern user behavior logging techniques.

12:00

Experiments with Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation in Daily Activities

Authors

Antal Ruhl, Maarten Lamers

The human vestibular system has been extensively studied using Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS). Most experiments focus on vestibular disorders and use confined tests in a laboratory... more ›

Experiments with Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation in Daily Activities

The human vestibular system has been extensively studied using Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS). Most experiments focus on vestibular disorders and use confined tests in a laboratory environment. The present study focuses on the effect of vestibular stimulation in every day life and its suitability as a HCI technology. In contrast to other experiments the present study uses a GVS device which is dependent on the head movement of the test subject. Effects of various GVS schemes (both correlated and uncorrelated to head movement) on several everyday activities are investigated. The experiments yield very interesting results, which provide incentives for further experiments to accumulate more evidence.

In the PlayFit project, we aim to persuade teenagers to be physically active through playful actions with inherent physical activity. We envision small moments of casual active play throughout the day, matching the target group’s interests and activities, and fitting into their daily life.

Our research shows four core interest and activity areas for the target group: exploring, communicating, personalising and expressing. We have created three design explorations that connect to these areas and persuade teenagers to explore, communicate, personalise and express in a playful way.

The first prototype, Speakers-of-Oz, consists of a series of interactive speakers that respond to passers-by with sound output. Whisper Balls, the second prototype, are interactive balls that allow a person to record and play a spoken message. The Magic Mirror prototype is an interactive video wall that mirrors and repeats the actions of passers-by.

The results of informal evaluations are promising; all three prototypes elicit playful behaviour, incorporating exploration, communication, personalisation and expression.

12:10

Usability Testing for Mobile Scenarios of Fragmented Attention

Authors

Grischa Schmiedl, Kerstin Blumenstein, Markus Seidl

During the use of mobile applications on the move the user’s cognitive resources are split into handling the application and conducting a primary task, i.e. walking or driving a... more ›

Usability Testing for Mobile Scenarios of Fragmented Attention

During the use of mobile applications on the move the user’s cognitive resources are split into handling the application and conducting a primary task, i.e. walking or driving a car. Traditional lab-based usability tests do not take the influence of fragmented attention into account. In field tests on the other hand we cannot control environmental conditions.

In this paper we show how to use a car simulator to generate a controllable primary task. By comparing an undisturbed reference test with a subsequent simulator-based test we gain key figures, which reveal problems that only appear if the application is used in scenarios of fragmented attention.

We conducted a test series to evaluate our method and hardware setup. First results gained in these tests show that state inspections – frequent glances the user needs to observe the application’s state during a system induced latency – are an avoidable cause for mobile usability problems.

14:30

Being there, doing it: How to apply ‘embodied cognition’ to the design for interaction.

Authors

Jelle van Dijk, Joep Frens

In this workshop you will get an introduction into the theory of embodied cognition, which shortly states that ‘thinking’ is not something done ‘in our heads’ (as classical... more ›

Being there, doing it: How to apply ‘embodied cognition’ to the design for interaction.

So you’ve heard about this ‘embodied interaction’ idea once or twice but you never took the time to dive into it?
This is your chance to get a speedy update.

In this workshop you will get an introduction into the theory of embodied cognition, which shortly states that ‘thinking’ is not something done ‘in our heads’ (as classical theory would let us believe), but rather a real-time accomplishment emerging from fine-grained interactive couplings between the body and the environment. Thinking is something you ‘do’, with your body, in the real world. Since interaction is key, this theory should be of use for designers of interactive systems, especially if you are into multitouch, tangible systems, smart products, augmented reality, ubicomp, mobile computing, and the like.

The question is how to apply it, since the theory is as of yet rather abstract and general.
This workshop gives you a head-start in applying the theoretical principles to concrete design challenges.

We invite you to join us in a discussing some of the the more subtle effects on the changing role of digital systems when taking this theory as a starting point.”

Trust, along with social capital, has been in decline since reaching a peak in the 1960’s. Trust in society has been identified as being very beneficial: trusting communities are fare better on a range of issues. Certain types of trust, familiarity- and strategic based, lends itself to facilitation through ICT, but require the sharing of information. Through a workshop conducted in a high-rise building in Berlin we explore the possibilities of information sharing among neighbours. We conclude that there is willingness to share, but life cycle or age influences the interest in establishing trust in the neighbourhood.

14:30

Infusing digital creativity in design, the low fidelity way

Authors

Dries De Roeck, Karin Slegers, Pieter Jan Stappers, Achiel Standaert

In (industrial) design projects, digital and non-digital aspects are often seen as two separate design ‘tracks’. Due to advances in our social and technological context, the hard... more ›

Infusing digital creativity in design, the low fidelity way

In (industrial) design projects, digital and non-digital aspects are often seen as two separate design ‘tracks’. Due to advances in our social and technological context, the hard boundary between the digital and the non-digital is fading. This is a challenge for the designer since he needs to be creative with digital technology without necessarily having a technical background. Using the lillidot method introduced in this paper an exploration was done concerning the feasibility of creating a low fidelity design “kit” in order to facilitate the infusion of digital aspects in design.

For successful execution of operational tasks within complex work situations, communication is essential. This ‘operational’ communication is analyzed to gain insight in the way the parties concerned put a similar meaning on the exchanged information. Or, as linguists call it: create shared understanding. This paper focuses on the characteristics of complex work situations, the methods of analyzing, and it indicates the preliminary results of the first field study. The final results consist of guidelines for the design of ICT-systems in order to realize a more effective and efficient way of communication.

14:50

Social contraptions sparking inspiration for understanding interaction in and with dynamic contexts

Author

Robb Mitchell

A major challenge for developers of interactive devices and systems is the understanding of dynamic social contexts. To address this challenge, the concept of “social contraptions... more ›

Social contraptions sparking inspiration for understanding interaction in and with dynamic contexts

A major challenge for developers of interactive devices and systems is the understanding of dynamic social contexts. To address this challenge, the concept of “social contraptions” is proposed. Social contraptions are interactive installations and performative interventions employed as designerly explorations of social relations. An example of a cyranic social contraption and a physical social contraption are briefly presented.

This paper describes an exploratory study examining different online sources of photographs to inform and inspire designers in the conceptual phase of user-centered design. While ethnographic... more ›

This paper describes an exploratory study examining different online sources of photographs to inform and inspire designers in the conceptual phase of user-centered design. While ethnographic techniques are available to access rich user information, these techniques are often expensive in terms of time, money, and effort. Increased online participation and online contributions through Web 2.0 and crowdsourcing applications provide growing opportunities to access and solicit a wide variety of user-generated content. These activities and the content that is generated may provide economical access to information from and about users, to inform and inspire designers. This paper examines five sets of images harvested from four online sources. Results address the use of these sources for gathering images, highlight differences between sources, and discuss designers’ interpretations of the images. We conclude with a plan for continued research to better understand how crowdsourcing user-generated content can benefit user- centered design.

14:50

Integrated User Interface for Train Drivers

Author

Colete E. Weeda

The technical possibilities to provide the driver of a running train with actual and continually updated information are increasing. But overloading the train driver with information... more ›

Integrated User Interface for Train Drivers

The technical possibilities to provide the driver of a running train with actual and continually updated information are increasing. But overloading the train driver with information shall be prevented. An analysis of available information combined with an inventory of necessary and relevant (new) items, obtained from workshops with train drivers, resulted in a structured vision on near-future needs for information in a train cabin. Application of ergonomic design requirements and recommendations resulted in a clear and convenient interface integrating all relevant data. The participation of the users during the design process is an important factor that contributed to the great enthusiasm for the project and the proposal amongst the train drivers.

15:10

Stimulation of Interactivity in Online Communities

Authors

Ferdy van Varik, Herre van Oostendorp

In this study, factors contributing to the development of active communities are identified and merged into a Community Interactivity Framework that can be used to set up new or revitalize... more ›

Stimulation of Interactivity in Online Communities

In this study, factors contributing to the development of active communities are identified and merged into a Community Interactivity Framework that can be used to set up new or revitalize unsuccessful communities. Found factors include: displaying house rules during the membership registration procedure, informing members of new messages by e-mail and being able to add pictures to member profiles. During application of the framework to a community with low activity, changes have been made to privacy options, polls, activity notifications and other areas. Afterwards, significant positive effects have been found in the number of visits, posted messages and created topics. Also, interest of community members in both user profiles and the message board increased significantly. We conclude that the framework is able to contribute to developing successful online communities.

15:10

Multifaceted Design for Persuasion: a Case Study about the Design of a Mobile Safety Watch

In order to design effective Persuasive Technology (PT) interventions, it is essential that designers understand the multitude of factors that lead to behavioral change, rather than... more ›

Multifaceted Design for Persuasion: a Case Study about the Design of a Mobile Safety Watch

In order to design effective Persuasive Technology (PT) interventions, it is essential that designers understand the multitude of factors that lead to behavioral change, rather than guessing at a solution or imitating successful techniques without understanding why. The few available PT design frameworks solely distinguish behavioral determinants on an individual (micro) level (e.g., motivation), whereas successfully persuading a user is a multifaceted and complex task depending also on factors on a meso (e.g., available resources) and macro (e.g., social support and praise) level. We developed an analysis grid that enables PT designers to acknowledge the multifaceted character of determinants leading to behavioral change and select appropriate PT channels and strategies, preventing the failure of PT design. This analysis grid was validated in a case study in which we designed a PT intervention aimed at reporting minor crime incidents among citizens.

In this paper, we will argue that developments in social media in the past few years open up an opportunity space for developing “integration software”. Such software supports... more ›

Interfacing between Social Media, Business Processes and Users.

In this paper, we will argue that developments in social media in the past few years open up an opportunity space for developing “integration software”. Such software supports company specific use cases, while the software expands on existing social media infrastructure through web API’s. We have explored this opportunity space for social media integration in companies with a conceptual design project. Seven groups of students designed and built “integration software” for two different companies. In this paper we present the three most interesting student concepts and identify challenges and opportunities for building “integration software”.

16:00

Changing Typographic Elements of eBook Without Disturbing the Reader’s Experience: The Basis for a Richer Story

Authors

Thijs de Boer, Maarten H. Lamers

The book has gone digital but it is still a static book. To make the book more interesting, an extra layer could be added — a layer with more ‘information’ that intensifies the... more ›

Changing Typographic Elements of eBook Without Disturbing the Reader’s Experience: The Basis for a Richer Story

The book has gone digital but it is still a static book. To make the book more interesting, an extra layer could be added — a layer with more ‘information’ that intensifies the story at the right moment. To lay a base for these HCI developments, it is necessary to know if page elements can be changed without disturbing the reader’s experience.

By creating a program for an eReader we tested how the reader responds to typographic changes on the page during reading. With the use of recorded reading times and a questionnaire, we analyzed if the real-time typographic changes influence the immersion of the reader and therefore the reader’s experience.

Although a substantial number of experimental subjects indicated the changes as not positive, from the reading time measurements and immersion questionnaire we concluded that it is possible to change typographic elements during reading without disturbing the immersion. The results open the door to more interactive digital reading experiences.

Experience of interest in human-product interaction

In this paper, we analyze a main future development in HCI in the direction of ubiquitous computing. Based on these considerations we describe the underpinnings, design and development... more ›

DevThis: HCI Education beyond Usability Evaluation

In this paper, we analyze a main future development in HCI in the direction of ubiquitous computing. Based on these considerations we describe the underpinnings, design and development of Develop This! (DevThis) as a set of educational modules to teach the theory and practice aspects of ubiquitous computing within the Bachelor curriculum of Media Technology at Rotterdam University. Finally, we conclude with ongoing developments and a future outlook.

Ads are a salient means for supporting the development and sustenance of several computing services free for public use. While ads have potential benefits for users (monetary, informational... more ›

The Effect of Location on Perceived Intrusiveness of Mobile Ads

Ads are a salient means for supporting the development and sustenance of several computing services free for public use. While ads have potential benefits for users (monetary, informational, etc.) they also have shortcomings such as being perceived as intrusive. With the advent of mobile computing location based services might be able to address the shortcomings of ads. In this paper we study the perceived intrusiveness of location based ads using a virtual environment. We present initial evidence that location has a significant impact on the way people perceive the intrusiveness of ads.

Elevating Family Communication

Transformation research viewed with help of the design based approach: implications for education

Authors

J. Joyce Beumer, Eddie Kips, Bert Mulder

This article handles about the three types of applied design research as was proposed by the National Cultural Council (the Netherlands) to solve innovation problems in our society... more ›

Transformation research viewed with help of the design based approach: implications for education

This article handles about the three types of applied design research as was proposed by the National Cultural Council (the Netherlands) to solve innovation problems in our society. To explain the implications of these three types of research, a meta design approach will be proposed. With regard to universities of applied sciences, design implications and its impact will be explained at the individual level, education department level and the organization level. These are the keys to a better understanding why, how and when applied design research will be successful. These can be used for the education development of applied design research, with the aim to change our society fundamentally.

16:50

Exploring the use of Concept Mapping to facilitate Interaction Design Processes

Authors

Ilya Shmorgun, David Lamas

This work focuses on the field of interaction design in the context of software development. The paper addresses the problem of a lack of a transversal technique, which can be used... more ›

Exploring the use of Concept Mapping to facilitate Interaction Design Processes

This work focuses on the field of interaction design in the context of software development. The paper addresses the problem of a lack of a transversal technique, which can be used to support interaction design processes through all of their stages. The research question focuses on assessing whether concept mapping is an adequate technique to support interaction design processes. The results indicate that concept mapping can indeed be applied in the field of interaction design and can successfully deliver on the established requirements.

16:50

Design of an interactive playground based on traditional children’s play

Design of an interactive playground based on traditional children’s play

Gerrit van der Veer Thesis Award nominee, abstract not available.

16:50

Gesture Recognition Approaches: A Survey

Authors

Sheran Corera, Noami Krishnarajah

The massive influx of computers in modern society has led to the discovery of novel approaches in how humans interact with computers. Extensive research on more “natural” mechanisms... more ›

Gesture Recognition Approaches: A Survey

The massive influx of computers in modern society has led to the discovery of novel approaches in how humans interact with computers. Extensive research on more “natural” mechanisms of human computer interaction (HCI) has led to the tracking of hand gesture movement, due to the fact that gestures play a predominant role in human communication. This paper analyzes numerous approaches to gesture recognition and critically evaluating research carried out in the domains of computer vision and sensor based devices. Various logical considerations are also explored and comments have been presented.